The massive living room fell completely silent. Everyone's attention was locked on Allyson.
Allyson reached up and tucked a strand of blonde hair behind her ear. "I will be joining the Valentine Group starting Monday."
She looked directly at Godfrey, her smile widening. "I am going to be your new Executive Assistant. I will be handling the Asia-Pacific merger."
Aubree's head jerked up. Her chest tightened so violently she physically gasped, all the air rushing out of her lungs. She stared at her husband, waiting for him to deny it.
Godfrey said nothing. He stood by the fireplace, his silence confirming the appointment.
Genevieve clapped her hands together. "Brilliant! An Ivy League business graduate is exactly what Godfrey needs. Finally, someone useful."
Genevieve shot a nasty glare at Aubree. "Unlike some people who could not even finish a basic college degree and just drain our resources."
Aubree dug her fingernails into her palms. The only reason she dropped out of college was because her father went bankrupt and could no longer pay the tuition.
Allyson sighed softly, looking at Aubree with fake pity. "Oh, do not be too hard on her, Genevieve. Being a quiet housewife is a perfectly fine life for some women."
A loud, sharp thud echoed from the top of the grand staircase.
Everyone looked up. Augusta, the matriarch of the Valentine family, stood at the landing. She gripped a heavy silver cane in her right hand.
The air in the room instantly grew cold. Genevieve immediately fixed her posture and stopped smiling.
Augusta slowly walked down the stairs, leaning heavily on the cane. She reached the bottom floor and stopped in front of the sofa. Her sharp, calculating eyes scanned the room.
"Genevieve," Augusta said, her voice raspy but commanding. "You speak like a bitter fishmonger. Have some class."
Genevieve's face turned bright red, but she kept her mouth firmly shut.
Augusta turned her head toward Allyson. Her eyes narrowed into tiny slits.
"The Valentine Group is not a playground for socialites," Augusta warned, tapping her cane against the marble floor. "The assistant chair is not a throne for you to play house in."
The perfect smile on Allyson's face cracked. She lowered her eyes, her fingers twitching nervously against her silk dress.
Augusta walked past them. She stopped right in front of Aubree, who was still standing near the edge of the rug.
The old woman reached out her wrinkled hand and gently patted Aubree's cold, trembling fingers.
"As long as I am breathing," Augusta announced loudly, making sure every person in the room heard her, "Aubree is the only granddaughter-in-law this family recognizes."
A hot tear finally escaped Aubree's eye, rolling down her cheek. She raised her hands and signed, Thank you, Grandmother.
Godfrey crossed his arms over his chest. He glared at the floor, his muscles tense with extreme irritation at his grandmother's blind protection of a woman he despised.
The head butler stepped into the room, bowing slightly. "Dinner is served in the main dining room."
The group moved out of the living room and walked down the long hallway toward the dining area.
Augusta took her seat at the head of the massive, long crystal table. She pointed her cane at the chair directly to her right. Aubree sat down.
Godfrey walked to the left side of the table and pulled out a heavy wooden chair.
Before he could sit, Allyson rushed forward. She slid smoothly into the chair right next to his.
She reached across the table and picked up Godfrey's linen napkin, gently placing it on his lap for him.
Aubree sat across from them. She stared at Allyson's hand resting near Godfrey's leg. The brief warmth Augusta had given her instantly vanished, replaced by a freezing, hollow ache in her chest.
